Ryan Kennedy gives his takeaways and standouts from the NHL prospect tournament in Buffalo, featuring the Sabres, Senators, Canadiens, Devils, Penguins and Bruins. Aaron Ekblad [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwOTU5MTM0MTkzOTUyNDE4/usatsi_20886019.jpg] Aaron Ekblad They say it's not how you start but how you finish. And certainly, player health is vitally important when NHL teams go on a long, gruelling playoff run. But at this time of year, injury issues also carry important weight. Wins and losses may not matter in the pre-season, but this is a critical period for teams and coaches to establish chemistry and start setting lines as they get an idea of what works and what doesn't. Some absences are all but inevitable, but they muddy the waters — especially when they're unexpected. A good start is also a near-necessity for teams with playoff aspirations. The long-held rule of thumb states that post-season positioning is often all but set by American Thanksgiving, roughly one-quarter of the way through the year. Last year, that held for seven of eight teams in the Eastern Conference, with the Florida Panthers ultimately replacing the Detroit Red Wings in the mix. In the West, it was six of eight. The Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers got in while the Calgary Flames and St. Louis Blues were out — although just one point separated all four of those teams at the Thanksgiving mark. With news still trickling in as NHL training camps kick into gear on Thursday, here's a look at what fans need to know about the status of some key players from around the league. Hopefully, the headings will help as navigational signposts, but all information for each team is grouped together. Update: Vancouver Canucks forward Ilya Mikeheyev has left training camp for personal reasons, the team announced [https://x.com/Canucks/status/1704898831215985122?s=20]. Mikeheyev had ACL surgery in January. NEWLY REVEALED INJURIES The Edmonton Oilers are being discussed as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders going into the season — in no small part because Mattias Ekholm made such a dramatic impact in improving the club's defense after he was acquired at the trade deadline. Ekholm is not on the ice as training camp opens, listed as day-to-day with hip-flexor tightness. But he did speak to media on Wednesday and downplayed the issue. The Oilers also announced that PTO candidate Sam Gagner and free-agent acquisition Connor Brown will both ease their way into the year. The plan is that Gagner, who is coming off double hip surgery [https://twitter.com/jimmathesonnhl/status/1704313872994492473], won't suit up for any pre-season games, while Brown, who had surgery to repair a torn ACL last October, won't play any back-to-back games [https://twitter.com/jimmathesonnhl/status/1704314395520847970]. Also noteworthy — Cale Makar is absent for the first day of camp with the Colorado Avalanche. He's currently listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue [https://x.com/evanrawal/status/1704622581876482377?s=20]. At the end of August, he described his summer to the media as "a grind" as he worked his way through lingering issues from last season. The Avs are prepared to go into the season without Gabriel Landeskog, who is recovering from a second knee surgery. Missing Makar for any amount of time would be a major blow. Backup goaltender Pavel Francouz is also listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue. The good news is that Josh Manson is on the ice for the first day of camp, although he is still said to be dealing with his lower-body injury from last year. Andrew Cogliano is also skating after suffering that scary neck injury in the playoffs but is not expected to play in any pre-season games. Also in the Central Division, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Thursday that both Taylor Hall and Colin Blackwell are day-to-day with lower-body issues. Meanwhile, in Calgary, there appears to be a hiccup in Oliver Kylington's plan to return to the Flames blueline after missing last season due to personal issues. "Following yesterday’s medical and fitness testing, it was determined that Oliver is unable to participate in the opening of training camp today," the Flames said in a statement [https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-statement-regarding-oliver-kylington]. "As this is a private personal matter, no further information will be provided." MAKING PROGRESS Around the NHL, there are a good number of players who appear to be getting close to returning to action but aren't all the way there quite yet. One is Andrei Svechnikov in Carolina. Last seen in mid-March when he suffered a knee injury that required surgery, he could be ready for the beginning of the regular season. But the news is not so good for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman. After dealing with migraine issues, he got into just three games last season and is not expected to play this year. On Wednesday, GM Patrik Allvin said the priority with Poolman is "supporting him and helping him in any ways to get his life back and feel good about himself." Former Canuck Tanner Pearson went through the wringer last season, enduring multiple surgeries for an injury to his left hand. He was finally removed from the injured reserve list on Tuesday. Just hours later, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, along with a 2025 third-round pick, in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith. With one year left on his contract, the move is a fresh start for Pearson and cleared some much-needed cap space for Vancouver. Montreal GM Kent Hughes [https://twitter.com/ArponBasu/status/1704513528537768273] told the media that Pearson passed his physical in Vancouver and that the strength in his injured hand is now back to about 80 percent. In terms of man-games lost, Montreal led the league [https://nhlinjuryviz.blogspot.com/2022/10/202223-team-injury-breakdowns.html] last season — without counting Carey Price. Going into camp, the news is mostly good, with even Sean Monahan expected to be healthy and ready to go. The exceptions are Christian Dvorak [https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1704515262463046130], who had knee surgery in mid-March and isn't expected to be ready until November, and Chris Wideman, who is dealing with back issues. Over in Pittsburgh, Penguins fans should also be happy to see Jake Guentzel on the ice for an informal skate on Thursday. In St. Louis, Torey Krug is also skating after suffering a training injury about a week ago. And while there was some concern that Alexander Romanov might not be ready for training camp after off-season shoulder surgery, he is present and accounted for in Day 1 on Long Island. Over in Ottawa, center Josh Norris is on the ice for the Senators' training camp but had to wear a non-contact jersey out of extra caution. He only played eight games last season due to shoulder injuries that eventually required surgery, and he tweaked something during the captain's skates, according to Sens GM Pierre Dorion. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/news/eight-months-after-shoulder-surgery-josh-norris-tweaks-something] "If the regular season was starting in a few days, he'd be playing. We're just being extra cautious here with his ongoing rehab," Dorion told reporters. BACK ON TRACK After several years of dramatic injury issues, training camp is opening on a positive note in Philadelphia. Back issues limited Sean Couturier to 29 games in the 2021-22 season, and he didn't play at all last year. But after reports during the summer that he was feeling good, he is indeed back on the ice and skating smoothly at the Flyers Training Center. There's similar optimism around Cam Atkinson, who also missed all of last season with a neck issue that ultimately required surgery. The news, of course, is not so good for defenseman Ryan Ellis, who managed just four games in a Philadelphia uniform after being acquired by trade two years ago. He is not expected on the ice at training camp. NO SURPRISE The Toronto Maple Leafs have confirmed that Jake Muzzin won't be available this season, while Matt Murray is supposed to have "major surgery." In Florida, the Panthers aren't expecting to have defensemen Aaron Ekblad or Brandon Montour in their lineups until around mid-December, according to comments Wednesday from GM Bill Zito [https://twitter.com/JamesonCoop/status/1704486714457157661]. The good news is that Matthew Tkachuk is recovered from his broken sternum, and Spencer Knight will be back after spending time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for what he has now revealed was a case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder [https://thehockeynews.com/news/exclusive-spencer-knight-on-why-he-sought-help]. For the Buffalo Sabres, Jack Quinn will have to wait a while longer to follow up his breakout season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury during training in June. Another player who was expected to get a long look at camp, 19-year-old center Matt Savoie, is also on the shelf after suffering an upper-body injury during Buffalo's Prospects Challenge. He is currently listed as week-to-week [https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-matt-savoie-injury-update], but a return before the end of camp has not been ruled out. Max Pacioretty is working his way back from another Achilles surgery and is targeting November to make his debut with the Washington Capitals. And while the Anaheim Ducks are looking to take a step forward this year under new coach Greg Cronin, they're opening camp without two of their best young players. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are both RFAs who have not yet agreed to new deals. Center Isac Lundestrom is also absent — recovering from an Achilles injury suffered during summer training. But defenseman Urho Vaakanainen has been cleared to return after missing the end of last season with a lower-body injury. The other key RFA who still doesn't have a deal as of Thursday morning is Shane Pinto in Ottawa.
